Melting Her Cold Heart
Chapter 76. You Should Have Been The Torch Lighter

Chapter 76: 76. You Should Have Been The Torch Lighter

At the Crawfords residence, everyone was gathered after breakfast. Even Olivia hadn’t left for school because Williams had earlier asked everyone to wait behind for an important announcement.

Everyone present could more or less guess the reason and what the announcement would be about but they all stoll sat down and waited. They might just be surprised.

William walked in with David beside him. His presence alone had many frowning, but none spoke and only exchanged stiff pleasantries and smiles that didn’t quite reach their eyes. They all exchanged glances, but none could answer the unspoken questions in the others’ eyes.

"Father," Dominic finally spoke, breaking the silence. Williams, who had yet to pay attention to them as he was engaged in a small but tense conversation with David, turned and looked at him. "Forgive my interruption, Father. But everyone is eager to know what your important announcement would be," he said.

Williams stared at him for a little while in silence before he nodded his head. "I will get to that very soon, Dominic. Exercise a little patience," William said and returned his attention back to David.

On the other side, Sean and Selena were engaged in another hushed conversation of their own, which very much caught the attention of everyone else. The bright smile on Selena’s face as she spoke rubbed Lily in the wrong way, pulling on her nerves.

You errant present at the table for breakfast and you didn’t tell me where you went, Selena. Where were you?" Sean asked. His brows knitted together in worry.

"I had a morning appointment with the doctor. I couldn’t ignore it," Selena replied. But when she saw his frown deepened. She added with a smile, "I will tell you about it later."

"Is it something I should be worried about?" Sean asked, although his voice was barely above a whisper. Those near him like Olivia and Adam heard his question.

Selena smiled but didn’t reply to his question. "I said later. Whether it’s something you should be worried about or not, you’ll get to know it later," she said. Her smile still did not leave her face. She held his hand and gave a gentle, coaxing pat on the back of his palm.

Sean studied his wife for a bit longer, and her smile and pat helped him calm down as it meant it was nothing too serious. "Alright," he agreed, and they both turned to find everyone else was now watching them, even Williams and David.

"Is there a problem, Sean?" Williamsa asked. Himself eyes darted between husband and wife.

"No, Father, there is none," Selena answered even before Sean could. Her smile was still intact, and that had Sean nodding his head as well.

"Everything is fine, Father," Sean said, closing to believe his wife.

Nodding, Williams spoke, "Very well. We may now begin." Silence followed his words, and the air in the room became more tense than it was before.

Adam shifted uncomfortably in his seat, knowing the conversation had something to do with him. Dominic held Lily’s hand so that he would be able to stop her in time if she were to throw any of her weird tantrums. Oliver fidgeted, grasping the hem of her dress and biting the inside of her cheek.

Williams noticed their behaviors but didn’t say anything as he opened his mouth and uttered, "This is about the vacant position of the CEO of Apex. A new CEO has been appointed and..."

"What?!" Adam, who couldn’t contain his fury at that statement, uttered even without realizing that he had just interrupted his grandfather.

"Adam!" Dominic called his son immediately before he did something to make things worse than there already were. Even he too was shocked by the revelation, and he couldn’t help dart8ng his eyes towards Sean and Selena. Was that why she was all smiles? Did Williams choose her over them? But it couldn’t be? They also looked surprised but without the shock that he and his family felt.

"Let him, Dominic. He should speak his mind, too. He has a child anymore, and that position was his," Lily said, trying really hard not to yell in the presence of Williams.

"Do you have something to say, Adam?" William decided to indulge the boy a little. It was him who was being stripped of his position and power. The least that he could hear him out.

"Yes, Grandfather," Adam replied standing with his fist balled, anger evident from his expression and his burned into that of Williams and for the first time, William was almost proud of him for being able to hold his gaze that long.

Williams nodded his head, giving him the go signal.

"I want to know why a new CEO is being appointed when I am only being suspended, Grandfather. Why? I am not fired, neither did I resign," Adam asked, keeping his voice controlled. He could lash out at Williams because that would only prove that he couldn’t handle it.

Williams nodded, acknowledging the questions as they made sense.

"You are indeed not fired from Apex, Adam. No family member ever will," Wiliams began alternating his gaze from everyone on his. Hildreth seated there. Then he continued, "But the position of CEO has been taken from you. You have been the CEO for many years now, but nothing significant has changed–"

"Has Apex ever suffered any losses?" Adam cut him off. The company may not be as fast growing as it did in the past while under Williams, but he made sure it didn’t suffer any losses. Its growth was slow, but growth was still growth. Apex was still among the leading companies in the country, if not the world.

"Indeed, there hadn’t been much losses until recently, but that is not enough. Just because you are not losing does not mean you are gaining, Adam. This is business, and it is about the gain. A business that stands unmoving will not last, and the board as well as myself have come to this conclusion. " Williams replied, and Adam gritted his teeth so hard it could almost be heard by others.

"Who is the new CEO?" He asked. He wanted to look at Sean, but he doubted that was it. Williams always had someone in mind, and that someone was not Sean. "Is it... is it uncle Alexander?" He forced himself to say the name that he despised so much. That man had always found a way to be a thorn in his flesh even when he does absolutely nothing and this... this just took it to other heights.

"Yes," Williams replied because he knew that everyone already knew who he and the board had chosen. "Kayden will run the company from now on. All your personal business are all yours, they are not listed under Apex."

’As if that makes any difference,’ Adam thought and from the looks of his father, mother and sister, they all had the same tough running through their minds.

"Don’t I have a say in this?" Adam couldn’t take it sitting down. He had to do something. Fight for what is already in the palm of his hands. What personal business was Wiliams talking about? The business that was started barely three years ago? Compared to Apex, that was like a single grain of sand on the sea shore. It was yet to have a foothold and could barely sustain him. "Can’t I prove that I deserve that position?"

"Adam..."

"Father, Adam is right. Look at us, we are all gathered here but Alexander is nowhere near here. Yet this is supposed to be the day everything gets handed to him—like always," Dominic interrupted Williams but that was not what got Williams frowning.

It was the words that followed.

"Dominic?" Williams called, his voice was so cold that even Sean who didn’t care much about the conversation had to sit up straight.

"What do you mean by ’have everything handed to him like always?"

Dominic bit his tongue for letting his thoughts out without thinking. He didn’t know how to respond to that, so he just lowered his head.

"Kayden has proven time and time again how deserving he is of everything he has. Do you need me to remind you that he single handedly raised Legend Corp to where it is now? He started his business like the rest of you did. Can you compare?"

His words were harsh but they were the truth and his children needed to understand that. Unlike them, who had their eyes on Apex, an already flourishing enterprise at its peak, Sean and Alex started theirs and took them to the peak. This was why Sean was so against taking over the company, he had his and that was already a lot of work. Alex had his as well and with Legend Corp, he ran a Conglomerate all on his own. Apex would just be a few more businesses thrown into the sea for him.

"Father, I..."

"Don’t ever, I repeat, don’t ever say such nonesensical things again," Wiiams didn’t allow him to speak. "You are my eldest offspring, I expect you to act like it. You should have been the torch lighter for your brothers. But look at you and hear what you can say."

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